Huawei Consumer business Group has announced their new smartphone series at IFA 2016 in Berlin.

The smartphone series has been given the name Nova, there are currently two devices in the range, the 5 inch Nova and the 5.5 inch Nova Plus.

Aimed at the younger, more style conscious market, the Nova series appears to be a replacement for Huawei’s existing G series.

Over the past few years, Huawei has dramatically improved its design language, and both the Nova and Nova Plus feature a full metal back and glass front, bringing a very premium, well-made feel to what is meant to be a mid-range handset.

The rear of the Nova, the smaller of the two handsets, bears a striking resemblance to the Huawei Nexus 6P, which is only available in South Africa through special order with select companies. The smartphone is available in Prestige Gold, Mystic Silver and Titanium Grey.

Huawei has proven that they know how to make a great smartphone camera and the Nova series continues the company’s history of great mobile photography.

The 5 inch Nova has a 12MP rear camera while the Nova Plus includes a 16MP rear camera with image stabilisation.

These devices feature a single camera on the back, unlike Huawei’s current flagship, the P9 and P9 Plus, which both feature a dual, rear facing camera setup.

Both the Nova and Nova Plus boast a category-leading 8MP front camera to capture better selfies and document the world in any lighting condition.

Both devices feature full HD screens, with the biggest screen to body ratio in the mid-range segment.

Battery life?

While all these camera features and the large display are fantastic, you can’t help but wonder about battery life. According to Huawei, both the Nova and Nova Plus have a battery lifespan of up to two days.

Biometric security

Huawei has also included its impressive fingerprint scanner in both handsets and improved upon its already impressive technology by bumping up the scanner to its new 3D fingerprint sensor which supports faster and more accurate unlocking for improved security and convenience.

The fingerprint sensor can also be personalised to control certain functions including photography, so taking the perfect selfie is literally at your fingertips.

“Our designers have created beautiful devices that meet the needs of our increasingly demanding lifestyles. The Nova and Nova Plus deliver much more than customers might expect, but exactly what they deserve.”

Huawei Nova key features:

Graceful and compact ID with superior experience in hand

8MP front camera + 12MP rear camera with 1.25um pixel size

4K video recording

New Snapdragon generation: MSM8953

Two days of battery use: 3020mAh battery in compact body

Huawei Nova Plus key features:

Flagship 16MP rear camera with 3 axis OIS

4K video recording

8MP front camera

New Snapdragon generation: MSM8953

2.2 days of battery use: 3340mAh battery

Nova and Nova Plus were not the only Huawei announcements from Huawei at IFA 2016:

MediaPad M3

The new MediaPad M3 has an impressive 8.4 inch screen view, and boasts the biggest screen to body ratio in the segment. This means that you’ll get a larger screen without having a larger device.

The MediaPad M3 is designed for content consumption and makes watching your favourite films and TV shows whilst on the move easier thanks to its advanced dual stereo Harman/Kardon speakers and 2K display.

Huawei P9 to release new colours

Following its launch earlier this year, the flagship Huawei P9 is now available in two new colours: Red and Blue (Huawei South Africa have not yet confirmed whether or not these colours will be available in South Africa).

Nova will be available from October in more than 50 countries and regions, including Germany, France, Spain and Austria.

Huawei Nova Plus will be available from late September in more than 50 countries and regions, including Spain, Italy and Canada.